It started with a donut.
One morning, Jessie Inchauspé, then in her 20s, grabbed her usual sugary breakfast on her way to work in Silicon Valley — and noticed something strange.
With a cutting-edge tech wearable, she could see her blood sugar spiking, then crashing, in a pattern that mirrored her bouts of brain fog, anxiety, and exhaustion almost exactly, she said.
“It might seem obvious today that what we eat impacts our mental health, but back then, for me, I hadn’t connected the dots,” Inchauspé told Business Insider.
Inchauspé was part of a pilot study using a continuous glucose monitor, or CGM. Once reserved for people with diabetes, the devices were being tested to see how food affected the blood sugar levels, and corresponding mood and energy, of otherwise healthy people.
It sent her down a rabbit hole. About a decade later, the rest of us are finally starting to catch up. Now, an online audience of more than 5 million people are looking to Inchauspé — better known as the Glucose Goddess — for advice on achieving steady energy and a healthy metabolism.
CGMs have since exploded in popularity among athletes, CEOs, and ordinary people trying to lose weight or to feel less sluggish. Brands like the Stelo, a device from Dexcom that Inchauspé has partnered with, are available without a prescription.
They may not be for everyone, particularly if intensive tracking makes you feel trapped in “sugar jail” as one Business Insider reporter wrote about trying a CGM.
Dietitians caution that self-tracking can sometimes lead to overanalyzing normal biological responses as your blood sugar goes through natural spikes and dips throughout the day. The science behind blood-sugar “optimization” is still evolving.
Still, Inchauspé said she’s seen lasting benefits from understanding her blood sugar and making simple daily tweaks. Three of her top tips are backed by solid evidence to prevent blood sugar spikes and support healthy eating overall.
“Saying that glucose only matters if you have diabetes is to me like saying brushing your teeth only matters if you have cavities,” Inchauspé told Business Insider. “We all feel the effects of our glucose levels on a daily basis.”
Start with a high-protein breakfast
Inchauspé said her previous habit of starting the day with cereal or granola seemed healthy, but ended in an afternoon slump.
She reined in her skyrocketing blood sugar by switching to eggs, Greek yogurt with unsweetened nut butter, or a smoothie with protein powder.
After her mood and energy dramatically improved, she said a high-protein breakfast has become a non-negotiable.
“Anchoring your day with a protein-rich breakfast that keeps you steady is really, really key,” Inchauspé said. “It changed how I felt. It changed how I ate, how I was connected to my body.”
Starting the day with protein, and including it in each meal, is a dietitian-approved way to get enough of the nutrient, although your exact needs will vary based on your weight and goals.
Whole food sources of protein like dairy and eggs, combined with nutrient-dense choices like fruit and nuts, are more satiating for long-lasting energy compared to processed foods like shakes and bars.
Eat your veggies before a meal
Carb-rich foods are often blamed for blood sugar spikes, but Inchauspé is quick to point out that carbs can be healthy.
“I love pasta, and I could never give up pasta, nor do I want to,” she said.
Context is key. A dose of fiber at the beginning of a meal helps create a softer landing when the carbs hit your system, slowing digestion so that blood sugar levels cruise along like a gently rolling hill instead of a roller coaster.
Inchauspé starts her meals with salad or other fiber-rich vegetables that support healthy digestion, topped with flavorful, low-sugar miso dressing
“It’s not necessarily replacing things, but also just learning when and how to eat them so I can still get all the joy out of them with less impact on my glucose levels,” she said.
Pair your fruit with fiber
Between meals, Inchauspé’s go-to healthy snack is an apple with peanut butter. The dose of healthy fat and fiber helps to balance out the natural sugars of the fruit.
She found the combo of fruit and nuts leads to more stable energy than her previous daily snacks. She used to eat grapes, which can be healthy but have a fraction of the fiber, which means the sugars digest more quickly and prompt an energy boost that doesn’t last.
It’s just one example of how nuance and balance are crucial when it comes to blood sugar and daily health. Everyone’s response to carbs can vary, and some people may be just fine with plain fruit — new research even suggests people have different “glucotypes” that influence how their bodies handle sugar.
That’s why dietitians emphasize there’s no one-size-fits-all diet for healthy eating.
Still, Inchauspé’s advice has garnered a massive following online, a clear sign that people are hungry for data to give them more control over their health. Scientists are still making sense of how the average person might make the most of blood-sugar tracking. For now, consider a common-sense approach to your diet, with plenty of room for nuance and the occasional treat.
“A donut is not the best thing for your blood sugar, but I would never tell you, ‘you could not ever eat a donut ever again,'” Inchauspé said. “That would be ridiculous.
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